Glancing around the main level of Everson Griffen’s Excelsior, Minn., home, it seems evident his knucklehead days in the fast lane have disappeared from the rear-view mirror.

A tornado that ripped through Babies “R” Us unloaded its shrapnel in the living room — toys, sippy cups, clothes and sports equipment, oh my. Daily life as the parent of two boys — ages 3 1/2 and nine months — and rookie T-ball coach.

A protective fence rings the in-ground pool and whirlpool out back. The man cave is downstairs.

So is the Vikings’ star defensive end, stripped down to a pair of athletic shorts as his masseuse, Jill, administers his Wednesday massage while his wife, Tiffany, plays with the couple’s youngest son, Ellis, on the carpeted floor.

There is a bar along one wall and a sectional couch in front of a huge drop-screen television. A beige felt pool table sits idle near the rear window. Movie posters of “Jaws,” “The Karate Kid” and “Dumb and Dumber” decorate the walls.

It is nine days before the Vikings are scheduled to report for training camp in Mankato, Minn., and Griffen is ready to start attacking left-tackle dummies yesterday. The temperature is soaring into the mid-90s, so hot and humid he doesn’t even want to unmoor his new 26-foot deck boat to cruise Lake Minnetonka.

“I’m a homebody, man,” Griffen says several times during an unfiltered two-hour interview about fatherhood, marriage, football and the self-inflicted blunders and tragedy that almost wrecked it all.

Greyson, the oldest boy, is at daycare, so Ellis, just about ready to crawl, is getting all the attention in the basement.

Everson Griffen with his 9-month-old son, Ellis, at his Excelsior, Minn., house July 20, 2016. (Pioneer Press: Brian Murphy)

The home is luxurious but not exactly lavish for an NFL player who signed a five-year, $42.5 million contract ($20 million guaranteed) in 2014. It is surprisingly modest at 5,500 square feet, tucked into the middle of a leafy block of this mature west metro suburb.

“I like it,” Griffen said. “It’s low-key. I came from nothing. Eventually, I’ll get a bigger house, but this is all I need. It’s all about the kiddos.”

Griffen’s transformation from hard-partying bad boy to grounded family man and ascending NFL pass rusher is nothing short of miraculous considering where his twisted career was five years ago.

He became TMZ fodder during a lost weekend in Los Angeles in January 2011 following his rookie season, when he was arrested twice in a 72-hour span for public intoxication and scuffling with a police officer after fleeing a traffic stop — his L.A. County Jail bracelet from the first arrest still dangling on his wrist.

Then-Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and team executives had a scared-straight meeting with Griffen, whose renegade days at the University of Southern California already had raised questions about the team’s decision to draft the talented-but-troubled defender in the fourth round of the 2010 draft.

“I remember being so frustrated that he was struggling to do the things I was asking him to do that I was ready to wash my hands of Everson and maybe let somebody else try to be involved in his life,” Frazier recalled last week in a telephone interview.

“Some time after that, I think it was in 2012, he came to me one day and said, ‘Coach, I get it. I understand what you’re trying to do for me.’ I wanted him to understand his life was bigger than playing time. Everything would come together if he could get his life together.”

Griffen grew up in outside Phoenix without his father, who was in and out of jail. After he became engaged to Tiffany in 2012, Frazier acted as a surrogate father to counsel Griffen about “what being a man meant, how to talk to her and treat her like a lady.”

“These guys have lot females chasing them, but at some point they’ve got to say, ‘What do I want out of life?’ ” Frazier recalled. “I was just trying to stress those parts about being in a monogamous relationship, being true to the person you love and making a commitment beyond the lifestyle he was living.”

Tiffany was six months pregnant with Greyson in October 2012 when she came to Everson’s Chaska rental house and found his mother, Sabrina Scott, dead in the stairwell.

Visiting from Arizona, Scott, 52, died instantly from spontaneous artery dissection. Griffen was devastated. The Vikings closed ranks around Griffen, who was at a pivotal crossroads in his life and career.

Everson Griffen with his mother, Sabrina Scott, at his home Oct. 5, 2012 — five days before she died there of spontaneous arterial dissection. (Courtesy of Everson Griffen)

Three months later, Tiffany gave birth to Greyson Scott Griffen, whose middle name celebrates the woman who continues to inspire his father.

No more a gullible goof mercilessly hazed by veterans Pat Williams, Jared Allen, Brian Robison and Kevin Williams in defensive line meetings, Griffen became a professional. He bided his time in a multi-tasking reserve role before succeeding Allen at starting right end in 2014 and earning his lucrative extension.

“We were hard on him because we saw the promise, honestly,” Robison said. “We saw the type of athlete he was as a young runt. He was a little bit crazy, but we knew he was a great guy, and we knew he could help this team for years to come.”

Coach Mike Zimmer inherited the reformed Griffen and has marveled at his work ethic. Despite a shoulder injury that nagged him for most of the 2015 season, Griffen finished with 10 1/2 sacks — his second straight season in double digits.

His six tackles, including three for a loss, plus two second-half sacks of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers were game-changers in Minnesota’s Week 17, NFC North-clinching victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field.

“With Everson, we didn’t have any kind of relationship before I got here,” Zimmer said. “But this kid works hard, he’s a grinder, he wants to be great. He loves the competitive part of the game, the physical part of the game, and he’s a tremendous athlete that can do an awful lot of things.

“I guess his attitude and mine are similar in a lot of things. Hopefully, we’re a little different.”

Griffen might be a choir boy nowadays, but he remains a live wire whose class-clown voice often can be heard cracking wise on unsuspecting teammates or reporters in the locker room.

And he attacks conversation as if it is a quarterback.

“He’s still Everson,” said Robison. “He’s still fun to be around. He’s still crazy. He’s still that guy that when you come into the building, he’s Everson.”

Here is Griffen at home during his interview with the Pioneer Press:

PP: You know the optimism in town for this club is raging. How are you equipped to handle sky-high expectations?

EG: I think we’re equipped well. We’ve got a lot of good leaders. B-Rob, we have Linval (Joseph), me, Chad (Greenway) — he’s a Viking for life. Terence Newman, he’s the oldest player in the NFL right now but he’s still playing at a high level. We have to bring that dog attitude on the O-line and the D-line.

PP: Did you watch that Seattle game again or bury it?

EG: I watched it. We had them beat. We had everything in our corner. We had the weather to our advantage. There were big mistakes made that everybody can learn from. When we get into that situation again, you’ve just got to do the right things. It makes you humble, (makes you) want to work that much harder.

PP: Are you a disciple of the notion that the Vikings will go as far as the defense takes them?

EG: I’m a firm believer in that. Look at Denver last year. Peyton Manning’s one of the best quarterbacks to ever play; first-ballot hall of famer. He dealt with some injuries. (Brock) Osweiler came in and held it together but it was the defense that brought it day in, day out. Defense wins championships. If our defense can play week in and week out, I feel we’ve got a good shot. Our defense has to start off hot. The offense has to take more shots. And we have to play our style of football.

PP: Have you arrived yet? How good can you be?

EG: Oh, man, I’ve got a lot of tread left on the tires. I plan on playing at a high level the next five, six years. My body is fresh, my body’s primed. I had the best OTAs and minicamp of my life. Last year I dealt with a big shoulder injury. Most of my time my main focus was protecting my shoulder. I feel like if I had two good shoulders, I would have had 16 sacks. I guarantee I would have beaten my sack number from the year before (12 1/2).

PP: Are 20 sacks realistic?

EG: I don’t put a number on it but that’s very possible. You’re just going to have to see what I do this year. This is the best I ever felt, the best I ever moved at. I’m going to beat my guy every play to give my team the best opportunity to win. If I can get 20 sacks, I’m doing my job. If I’m doing my job correctly, it makes it easier for the guy next to me to do his job.

I haven’t reached my potential. I’m still learning how to start. I’m 28, I should be hitting my stride. I want to be a Viking for life. I love playing for my teammates and Coach Zimmer and his staff. With the guys we have in our group, we can be the best defense in this league. We can all talk about it. We have to prove it each and every practice. That’s where you make your money, get your chemistry and become masterful of your craft. The sky’s the limit for me.

PP: All right, enough football talk. How’d you meet Tiffany?

EG: We met at a bar called Blondie’s in Brooklyn Park. It’s closed now. After my first year in the league, I was being immature and dumb and I walked into the bar, saw her and that’s all she wrote. We’ve been together ever since.

PP: Is it that simple?

EG: Well, we had our ups and downs.

PP: Tiffany, you’re laughing.

Tiffany Griffen: How we first met was kind of funny. He was there with his brother and some other girls. One girl was trying to fight me. I was, like, ‘I don’t even know this guy!’

EG: From the jump street it was drama. I asked her what kind of shot she wanted. She said a Klondike Bar. Then after that Klondike Bar, she said she was good and left. I went to hunt her down …

TG: … Because there was too much drama.

EG: After that, we spent almost every day together. I took her to (The Original) Pancake House. She got a stack and was eating like I was eating. I’m looking at her like, “Yeah!”

Everson Griffen and his wife, Tiffany, with their 3-year-old son, Greyson (left) and 9-month-old son, Ellis, in downtown Minneapolis Father’s Day 2016. (Courtesy of Everson Griffen)

PP: Did you always see yourself as a father and family man?

EG: When I was in college, my roommate’s father was a divorce lawyer. He told me and one of my friends, ‘Let me tell you one thing. Don’t get married until you’re 35. Don’t have kids until you’re 35.’ That always stuck in my head.

When I came here and met Tiffany, and then we had Greyson, we weren’t trying to. When I lost my mom, I knew I could have gone off the deep end, and then we had Greyson three months later. My mom was my rock. I knew I had to stay strong, but I had to grieve. I was dealing with a ton of emotions and battles. That’s when I started maturing more and more.

PP: Tiffany, how did you sign up for the ride, and what were you expecting?

TG: (Laughs). I fell in love with Everson instantly. Seriously, like after two days, I told my friend, “I’m going to marry him.”

PP: Why?

TG: He’s full of life. When he walks in a room, he’s just full of personality. You can’t not love him. I don’t know anybody else like him. We compliment each other very well because I’m on the other spectrum. I’m just not as extroverted. It was instant for me. There was no going back. He told me he loved me after two weeks. We’ve always kind of been inseparable. I had no clue about football. It’s been a crazy ride, obviously something I never thought I’d experience. But it’s fun. I have never been passionate about something like that, so it’s awesome to see his passion for the game and to be there for that. It’s pretty amazing.

Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen holds his son Greyson, then 13 months old, courtside as the Timberwolves played Sacramento at Target Center on Sunday, March 16, 2014. The Wolves beat the Kings 104-102. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

PP: Ev, describe yourself as a T-ball coach for Greyson.

EG: I’m a good coach. Baseball was my first love because growing up I was always too big to play tackle football. When I was 9, I was playing with the teenagers. I was a running back. I got hit hard a couple of times, I told my mom, ‘I don’t know if I can handle all this hitting. I’m still a baby!’ I didn’t play tackle football again until my freshman year. Every time I tell people I was really good at baseball, they don’t believe me. I pitched and played center field. I could run. I hit home runs.

PP: Sounds like a 5-tool player. Why didn’t you stick with baseball?

EG: I was a goofball my freshman year. Being a knucklehead’s always part of my life (laughs). I was supposed to get a ride home one day from my friend. I ran and jumped on top of the hood. They were going 30 mph, and I was, like, ‘Do not hit the brakes!’ Well, dumbass hit the brakes, I went flying off, my foot got caught and I landed on my (right) arm … tumble, tumble. I broke my arm. I didn’t want to tell my mom because I knew she’d be mad.

PP: So what did you tell her?

EG: I told her that I needed ice after practice and my friend was chasing me and dove on me and I hurt it. My coach found out and someone else told my aunt. I’m in the stands after a basketball game and my mom was with my aunt. My aunt goes to my mom, ‘Girl, you know how Everson broke his arm? He jumped on the hood of the car and went flying off.’

I’m on the opposite side of the gym, my mom said, ‘Everson! You stupid (expletive)! Bring your (butt) over here!’ In front of the whole gym! Oh, my god. I got into so much trouble. When I got back to baseball, it just wasn’t the same.

PP: There’s something romantic about baseball. But you’re in the trenches, as nasty as it gets. Where’s the joy or fun in your position, which is hand-to-hand combat?

EG: It’s when I get to go up against the biggest, baddest, most athletic, physical guy on the line — the left tackle. He’s a money man. He’s a prime-time dude. Quick feet. Good hands. Good eyes. Whatever moves you have, he can mirror. I just like the competition when he gets worn down and I’m just getting into my rhythm. That’s when you exploit ’em and set ’em up and beat ’em.

PP: As much as it’s a power dynamic, it’s really a chess match.

EG: It is. If you can come in and beat the guy on your first snap, your first move, you know it’s going to be a good day. But most of the time you’ve got to set ’em up. In the second half, after you’ve set ’em up, now you can exploit ’em and use your speed and power and spin and know what he’s going to do before he does.

PP: What’s the best part about being a dad?

EG: It’s the love and joy, no matter what you do. Every time you come in and get that smile when he sees me. You’re their world. Every time I get back from working out, Greyson’s like, ‘Where’s my daddy! I demand my daddy now!’ It’s like, what are you going to do to set them up? I never lived in a big house like this. I was spoiled growing up, so I like spoiling my kids, but it’s all about building them values, too. You’ve got to keep your word with kids. They’re smarter than most people give them credit.

PP: Who was there for you? I know your dad was out of the picture.

EG: My mom, and my stepdad, too, later. My mom was always there for me. I got expelled in third grade, had to go back to the superintendent to get back in school. I was bad. I was always in trouble. She always had my side until she heard the other side of the story.

PP: So you were the younger of two brothers, but your father … is he still incarcerated?

EG: No, he’s out in Arizona. He’s doing good. I talk to him every now and then. I love him from a distance. He’s my dad. I respect him. I was raised by my mom. He was in and out. I was young. I know I had one rock to stand on, and that was my mom. I don’t know how she did it, but she always found a way.

PP: Your mother died here suddenly while visiting you in October 2012. Tiffany was six months pregnant. Describe that time.

EG: The first thing about that was what would my mom have wanted me to do? I went to the funeral, honored my mother with my family. But then I got out of Arizona, got back to playing football. My mom loved when I was on the football field. That’s what she wanted me to do. She said, “Everson, you’re my hero.” I was, like, “No, you’re my hero. You’re the reason I’m at this highest level.”

I was engaged. We had a baby on the way. That added more fuel to the fire of doing the right thing. Tiffany and Greyson were in my life for a reason. I’m thankful being in that situation, in that moment, where I was able to dial in and be, like, “You have to do the right thing.” I honored my mom by doing that, by being a man and taking care of my responsibilities.

PP: Describe his growth, Tiffany.

TG: He’s grown immensely. He knows himself very well. He was immature because he was spoiled, and obviously growing up as a great athlete, you get favored. I’m sure all of that went into play. He’s figured it out. I’m so proud of him. Most people in his situation would have opted to go the other way.

PP: Everson, how do you look at the Everson Griffen that was a troublemaker in college and as a rookie, getting arrested twice in three days? Do you laugh at it?

EG: Actually, I cherish it.

PP: What?

EG: (Laughs). Because it made me the man I am today. That was a learning experience.

PP: There are easier ways to learn that.

EG: Yeah, but I was a knucklehead. I learned it the hard way. I wouldn’t change that for the world. I was supposed to go first round (in the draft but) I went fourth round. But I’m happy I started at that point because it made me work that much harder to get to that point. I thank God every day. We’re blessed, but I’ve worked hard for what we have.

PP: Describe being a greenhorn in a position group with Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, Jared Allen and Brian Robison. They were brutal on you.

EG: It sucked. They were hard on me, but they knew what I had. They taught me, took me in. They were tough on me. I wasn’t allowed to talk. I wasn’t allowed to laugh. I wasn’t allowed to do nothing but go get their food. Pat used to always tell me, “Shut up, rookie! You don’t know (anything)! I’ve got five cars!” But Jared took me under his wing. He taught me how to pass rush. He played at a high level, will be a hall of famer.

PP: How were you spoiled?

EG: I was an immature 21-, 22-year-old boy that was spoiled growing up. I never cleaned my room. I never washed dishes. I never took out the garbage can. My clothes were always ironed. I never had a job. I never worked. Me going to USC, I thought I could do whatever I wanted to do. Then I got a little money in my pocket after my rookie season (but) you’re never bigger than the law. That’s what I learned. I wouldn’t change it. Could it have been a lot easier? One hundred percent, but that wasn’t my journey. My journey was to go through all that to bring me where I am right now. Where I am right now, all I can say is, they better be ready.

PP: Who are “they”?

EG: The 17 weeks of hell they’re about to get this thunder.

PP: All those left tackles?

EG: I want to go up against the best. Respect is earned, not given. That’s what I live for. You’re going to put some respect on my name. I’m primed. I’m ready. I just want to win. The only thing I care about is winning my battles to help this team win.

PP: Tiffany’s from here. You met here. You work here. But let’s be straight. There aren’t too many Arizona native, Southern California alum, African-American dudes that plant their flag in Excelsior. How did you become a year-round Minnesotan?

EG: I’m a homebody. I’m here or working out or we’re on our boat or doing something with the kids. Minnesota’s got the best schooling for kids. It’s the best place to raise a family. It’s safe. I’ve got a lot of family in Arizona that I miss, but it’s about raising my kids and putting them in the best situation possible. It’s not about me anymore.

If I lived in Arizona, I’d have to send them to a private school. Here, I can send them to a public school where it’s 10 out of 10. Eventually, after we get done, we could get a little beach house in San Diego and surf all day. I’ll grow my hair out. I’ll be surfing every day. I’ll leave the tanning to Tiffany.

PP: Would you grow dreads?

EG: I’ll probably have a Mohawk with a little dread sticking out of it. That’s our dream.

Brian Murphy has been on the Pioneer Press sports staff since 2000, migrating from the Detroit Free Press, where he covered police, courts and sports for four years. Murphy was the Minnesota Wild/NHL beat writer from 2002 to 2008 and has covered the Vikings as a reporter and columnist since 2009. Murphy is a Detroit native and Wayne State University graduate.

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